Other Way
by Cappucine
Summary: Sometimes providence has a strange sense of irony. After all, you're trying to play a dangerous game when you cause one of Goku's worst enemies to become one of his best friends. Please R&R!
1. You Found What?

I don't own DragonBallZ.

**A beginning note to any and all expectant readers: I am trying hard to plan this story out so that nothing seems out of place. It has taken much thinking for me just to start.**

**I had been thinking the other day... 'What if Goku and Demelza (new readers should glance at With Nothing Left to understand) had actually been friends instead of enemies?' Thus, I decided to see...This story will start out in Dragon Ball, and move on to DragonBallZ. I hope all of you find it satisfactory (because I'm sure nervous about this...)!**

**And the usual note, I love reviews! I try to reply to every one I receive, due to the fact of how much I am grateful for them.**

**With that said, I will begin...**

Goku was searching thoroughly through the reeds in the shallow, muddy pond. He checked behind a thick cluster of cattail plants, rummaged underneath rocks, and lifted up lily pads, all in a frenzied hunt for one of the Dragon Balls.

Bulma was sitting on her motorcycle, watching impatiently as her young friend dived underwater and came back up empty handed. "Well?"

"I don't see it anywhere. Maybe your radar is reading wrong."

She scowled. "My radar never reads wrong. It has to be over there someplace. Keep looking."

He gazed out across the pond to a thick patch of bushes and grass. It was a perfect spot to hide something valuable, like one of the Dragon Balls. "What about over there?" he pointed.

The irritable teenager growled. "Fine. But hurry it up."

Goku leapt out across the still water, and landed gracefully at the other side. "Now where would I land if I were a Dragon Ball?"

Bulma glared impatiently at her wristwatch.

Goku continued his investigation, pushing through a tall clump of grass, when he tripped on a limp form. He got to his feet and glanced back to see what had tripped him. "Huh? What happened?"

It was a girl, sprawled out flaccidly in the grass. Her bruised, bleeding face had sunk into the ground beneath her, and her dark purple hair was coarse and thick with mud and debris.

"Hey, are you okay?" Goku tried sitting her up. Her head rolled to the side groggily. "Can you hear me?"

No reply. She was out cold. Then Goku noticed a bulge underneath her brown jacket - the two-star Dragon Ball.

"What's taking you?" Bulma shouted. Goku returned carrying the young girl. Bulma yelped in alarm. "Hey, what happened?"

"I found her out by the pond," he said. "She's got one of the Dragon Balls. See?"

Bulma grabbed the ball and stuffed it in her bag. "Okay, we have the ball. You can put her back, now."

"Put her back?" He blinked. "We can't leave her out here. She's hurt."

"You've got to be kidding. We're not taking some creepy kid with us just because you found her out by a pond."

"Why not? She needs help. Wouldn't you want someone to help you if you were hurt?"

Bulma growled, agitated. "Of course not...for all you know, she did that to herself. She probably wants to stay out here."

"Oh come on, Bulma. We need to help her."

"Whatever...But she's not coming on my motorcycle," she snapped.

They took off, Bulma cruising on her bike, and Goku carrying the unconscious girl in his arms. They traveled like that until the sun sank beneath the horizon.

. . . . . .

"She's right here." The woman parted some shrubs to find that the spot in which the child had been laying was empty.

Two men followed her. "Hey! I thought you said she was right here."

"She was," the woman snapped.

"Then what happened to her?"

"How am I supposed to know?" She folded her arms.

"You are so incompetent, Leela. I don't understand why anyone would trust you to carry out a job."

"Don't be rude to her, Rail," Pole spoke up. "It's a mistake anyone could have made. Maybe the girl was kidnapped." He smiled.

"Yeah right," Leela rolled her eyes. "Come on. We need to find her, or we're going to be in big trouble."

. . . . . .

"Hey, it's getting pretty dark," Bulma told Goku. "Do you think we ought to stop soon?"

"Sure. I'm hungry."

"Are you ever not hungry?" She shrieked and halted her bike abruptly. Goku stopped a few feet behind her and glanced over her shoulder curiously.

"Excuse me," Leela said. "Have you seen a young girl about so high?" She spotted Goku. "Oh, good. You've found her for us. Thank you so much."

"We've been looking everywhere for her," Pole nodded. "So if you'll be so kind as to give her back."

Goku took a step back, frowning.

"Hey, don't make things difficult," Rail scowled.

"Goku, just give her to them. You're going to get us into trouble," Bulma whined.

"No way. I'm not going to hand my new friend over to these guys," he replied.

"You idiot, she hasn't even woken up. How can she be your new friend?" Bulma was trembling with fear. Who the heck were these strange-looking people?

"We can be reasonable about this," Rail told them. "Hand her over and we might let you live."

The small boy stuck his tongue out defiantly at the three strangers.

"If that's how it's going to be." Rail took out a large, black gun and pointed it directly at Goku's forehead.

"Hey, be nice," Leela said. "After all, they're only kids." She drew a dark metal spear from beneath her long coat and pointed it threateningly at them.

"Goku!" Bulma cried anxiously, gripping the handles of her motorcycle rather tightly. "She's got a spear!"

Goku set his young friend down upon the ground and faced Leela confidently. "If you want to fight..." He retrieved his fighting stick from its strap and aimed it at his rival. "You can't hurt my friends!" Goku shouted.

He leapt up high into the air, lengthening his fighting staff. Leela lifted her spear and the two weapons collided. Goku flew back swiftly and brought the end of his staff down upon her head, stunning her.

She countered with a rapid, furious swipe with the sharp, double-edged tip of her spear that missed Goku by several feet. He charged her and delivered two reprimanding slaps to her face, knocking her off balance.

She tried to counter Goku's attack with the blunt end of her weapon but her target vanished from sight.

"Over here," he mocked, and landed a flying kick to her back.

"Leela's losing her touch," Pole proclaimed. "Maybe she could use some help."

He joined the brawl, managing to catch Goku off guard. He slammed his fist into the back of the young boy's head and knocked him forward.

Leela stood back up, grabbing her back. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"I guess it's like Rail said," he replied. "You're incompetent."

She growled angrily at him and picked her spear back up. "I'll deal with you once I take care of this kid. Just focus on getting the girl back."

"My pleasure."

Bulma screamed, "Look out!"

Leela and Pole chased Goku as he led them around in circles, evading their every move. "Missed me!" he teased, and jumped up high into the air.

They watched, dumbstruck, as he descended swiftly upon them. He crashed down upon Pole's head, turning to Leela and slamming his fist into her nose.

"Why you little...!"

"You're both incompetent," Rail remarked without bothering to help.

Goku landed a double-fisted blow to Pole's kneecaps. He fell to the ground in pain.

Without warning, Goku cringed and froze to his spot. Eyes widened and teeth clenched, he began to shake uncontrollably.

"Oh no!" Bulma was certain that they were all doomed.

Leela started laughing. "Hey, you just have to grab his tail. How easy is this?"

Goku's bulging eye began to dim. His eyelids started drooping. It was as if Leela were using some type of vacuum to suck up all of his strength.

Bulma was furious. Enraged, she cried out boldly. "Let him go, you witch!"

"You don't shut up, do you?"

"Goku...!"

**Did the first chapter successfully catch your guys' attention? Review!**


	2. They're around here somewhere

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ.

**I want to thank you guys for reviewing last chapter! Reviews always make me happy, so here's to you two! Trugeta and animeprincess1452!**

**To Trugeta: Thank you! I'm very glad to hear that you're interested in my idea...I always try to satisfy my readers!**

**To animeprincess1452: Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope this chapter does well in your opinion.**

**On with the chapter, then...**

Leela, clutching the end of Goku's tail securely, glanced over to her comrades. "What are you guys doing? Get the girl. That one's not a threat," she gazed over to Bulma in a hinting manner.

She scowled. "You guys can't get away with this!"

"Who's going to stop us?" Rail snapped. Smack. The hit echoed like a gunshot, and Rail fell back into the dirt.

Bulma stared in surprise.

"Oh no..." Leela and Pole inched back slowly.

The girl Goku had found was awake, and she stood with her arms folded. She glared at Leela. "Let him go."

She loosened her grip on the boy's tail, but hesitated to release him entirely.

"I said drop him."

She let him go and he collapsed to the ground where he lay motionless.

"Now then. Which one of you hit me on the head?"

Leela trembled when she stared directly at her.

"Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

"This was such a bad idea," Pole whimpered.

"You cowards." Rail got to his feet. "How can you be so scared of a little kid?"

Without warning the girl leapt into the air and dropkicked him in the face. Rail was out cold.

Leela and Pole were dumbfounded, wondering whether they should help their comrade or not. The girl smiled sardonically at Leela and Pole and drove her foot into Rail's unconscious face.

Pole took off running in the opposite direction.

Leela growled angrily at the children, glanced at Rail and then turned reluctantly to follow Pole.

Bulma sighed in relief, leaning over the handles of her motorcycle. She gazed up at the child. "Thanks. I owe you one."

The girl shrugged and went to sit Goku up. "You okay?" No reply. Whatever Leela had done, she'd knocked him out. She picked him up and carried him over to Bulma. "Here, um..."

"Bulma Briefs," she told her, grinning.

"Well, you can take him, Bulma." She helped sit the boy up on the motorcycle, leaning his head on the handles.

"So what's your name, anyway?"

"Demelza," she answered.

"Demelza," she nodded. "You came to at the right moment. I thought we were goners."

"How did I end up here?"

Bulma explained everything that had happened, informing her about how Goku had found her carrying one of the Dragon Balls.

"Is that what it was?"

"You gather all seven of them and the Eternal Dragon appears before you. Then he can grant you any one wish."

"I don't think I'd have wished for anything, even if I had known what the Dragon Balls were. So you can keep it." She stared out across the road. "I'd better go."

"You're leaving?" Bulma sat up nervously. "What about those scary people? What if they come back?"

"I think they'll leave you alone after what they've been through." Demelza brushed the dirt off of her sleeve.

"But I was hoping you'd want to come with us." Her tone was almost pleading. "We're going to look for a place to eat, you know."

She smiled and hopped onto the motorcycle. "Say no more. Let's go."

"Right," she nodded, and started up her large bike.

"We're in big trouble," Pole whined, trembling at the very thought of what would happen if they went back without Demelza.

"Oh, shut up." Leela sat slumped forward with her arms crossed. She was not in a good mood.

"What are we going to do?" He grabbed her around the shoulders and shook her. "If we don't get her back, it's going to be our heads! You know that!" Pole grinned abruptly. "Hey, what about the sun, maybe it will take care of her."

"No, stupid. The king said she's immune to sunlight. We leave first thing in the morning, right after we go and get Rail."

Bulma and Demelza had turned off the path to stop at a village when Goku began to open his heavy eyes. He blinked drowsily for a moment until he looked back to see who had been holding him up. "Hey, you're awake," he exclaimed happily.

"Wide awake," she told him.

"My name is Goku. What's yours?" He smiled goofily.

"Demelza..."

"Hi, Demelza." He beamed. "Hey, what happened to those two men and that woman?"

"She beat them," Bulma chimed.

"You did? Wow. You must be strong."

Demelza stared ahead where the light from Bulma's bike illuminated the road.

The three travelers stopped at an inn, got dinner, and went to bed.

Demelza woke up. The sun seemed to burst in through her window. She started getting ready and then headed out into the street where Goku was waiting for her.

He awaited her at the steps of the inn. "Good morning, Demelza. Sleep well?"

"Actually no. The floor is hard. Haven't these people heard of mattresses?"

He smiled. "I slept well. Did you have breakfast?"

"No, and don't talk about it, either," she scowled. She had no money for food, and didn't want to think about missing the most important meal of the day.

"It sure was good." Goku grinned cluelessly.

Demelza rolled her eyes and tried to resist the urge to punch him in the mouth. She decided to change the subject. "Where's Bulma gone?"

"Oh, I almost forgot. She wanted me to tell you that one of the Dragon Balls is here somewhere in the village, and she went to look for it."

"Yeah..."

"We're supposed to try and find it, too. But she said we can't get separated no matter what," he shook a finger in the same way Bulma had. "We've got to stick together."

'...Stick together?' "I hope you're kidding me."

"No..." Goku replied uncertainly.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. This was not going to be easy.

Bulma followed her radar carefully, glancing up every now and then in the hopes of finding the Dragon Ball. But there were countless spots where it could be hidden.

She noticed a small woman selling shiny glass orbs. She browsed at the globes on display until she was certain that the Dragon Ball was not among them.

She stopped by a small tent shop where an elderly man had put baskets up for sale. She looked inside every one of them. Not there. She continued her pursuit, checking the radar one more time just to be sure.

Behind one of the tents, a tall woman peered around the corner cautiously. She was dressed in long, heavy black robes with a headscarf, a veil, and a dark pair of sunglasses.

"See anything, Leela?" Pole asked and Rail poked his blackened, disfigured head around the curve; they were both wearing long trench coats, gloves, hats, and sunglasses.

"No," she replied.

"I hate the sun..."

"Would you two can it and keep an eye out for those kids."

"We can't see! It's too bright!"

"Then ask someone," Rail grumbled.

Leela caught the attention of a passing stranger. "Excuse me."

"Hey..." Bulma narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Must be tourists, she decided.

"We're looking for some out-of-towners. Two girls and a boy. Have you seen them?"

"Lose your group?" she smiled politely. "I'm traveling too. If I see anyone...like you..." she hinted at their unusual clothing "...then I'll be sure to tell them you're looking for them."

"Don't bother. We'll find them ourselves..."

"Good luck." She moved along, clutching her radar.

Rail snarled. "We've got to find them! I've got to..."

"What if they're not here, though?"

"Then we'll keep tracking them. Now come on."

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. My brain finally started to work again! Review!**

**Also, not forgetting to thank my editor, who is doing an excellent job!**


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